English light heavyweight Jimi Manuwa says that he is “gutted” after a freak injury forced him to withdraw from the UFC Sao Paulo main event opposite Thiago Santos in Brazil this weekend.
Manuwa suffered a severe hamstring tear while jogging in the Brazilian city shortly after arriving. His place in the main event will be taken by Eryk Anders.
“I’m truly gutted,” Manuwa wrote. “The day after I landed in Brazil I went for my last hard training session. During that session of sprints I tore my hamstring, and after getting it assessed in hospital, doctors diagnosed it as a severe tear greater than 50%. They told me it will be a minimum of 6 weeks recovery time.
“I’ll be working hard everyday to get back so I can continue to put on great fights for everyone to watch. I was 100% ready and looking forward to putting on a great show for the fans in São Paulo and around the world . I made a lot of sacrifices and even missed my daughter’s 10th birthday. I’m sorry Havana, I love you, Daddy is on his way home.
“I want to thank everyone of you for the love and support you have sent my way. Without all of you none of this is possible. I can’t wait to come back and put on a show for you all. Lions eat first.”
The card was originally intended to be headlined by Manuwa vs. Glover Teixeira but an injury to the Brazilian mandated Thiago Santos’ inclusion to the card.
Manuwa is 6-4 in the UFC (17-4 overall) and was looking to erase a two-fight skid this weekend. His last appearance was a losing effort to Jan Blachowicz in England last March.
